


Scars

by BunnyBopper



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Established Relationship, Ficlet, M/M, Melancholy, Scars, sxvxrxssnape's Snapetober 2020
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-11
Updated: 2020-10-11
Packaged: 2021-03-07 19:33:45
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 404
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26952937
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/BunnyBopper/pseuds/BunnyBopper
Summary: He never asks about them. Neither of them do.
Relationships: Remus Lupin/Severus Snape
Comments: 13
Kudos: 68





	Scars

**Author's Note:**

> Written for Snapetober 2020. Prompt 11: scars.

He never asks about them. Neither of them do. Still. He’ll never forget Remus’ face that first time, a mixture of fury and heartache. Almost beautiful. When he saw that the scar on Severus’ neck was nothing compared to the ones that littered his body. 

He hasn’t asked about them, though. Not once. Not even when he traces his finger oh-so-lightly over each one; the chunk missing from his knee, the thin sliver that spans the length of his chest, the crisscrosses on his back. Each one pale and bright as moonlight. 

For Severus, the sight of Remus’ body was less of a shock. It made sense that the scars that cover his face and neck – the ones that stretch taut every time he smiles – would mirror the rest of him. Their origins, too, are far less mysterious. But Severus often finds himself wondering about them anyway. How old was he when he gave himself that one on his shoulder? The one faded with age. Was he just a little boy? Were his parents there, whispering kind words through their tears? Or was he chained up in an attic somewhere? Alone. Severus hopes he wasn’t alone. 

And what about the ones on his chest? Three great gashes. The unmistakable marks left by claws. Did he do that to himself? Or did he come across some animal or beast in the forest? He wouldn’t have been alone then. He’d have had his friends beside him. And, as much as Severus still hates them, he’s glad of that. 

He knows why Remus doesn’t ask: it’s the same reason he doesn’t either. Painful memories. Too painful. Best left in the past. But sometimes, when they’re lying together in the bed they share, the silence stretching wide between them, Severus likes to imagine how the conversation would play out. 

_This one? The swings in the park – I wasn’t as gracefully as Lily back then, sadly. Didn’t my mum heal it with magic? Of course not! Dad would have seen!_

_Ah, this? Found myself on the wrong end of Bellatrix’s knife._

_And these? Let’s just say the Dark Lord required proof of my loyalty from time to time._

It’s a conversation that will likely never come to pass. Instead they’ll just hold each other in the dark. Bury themselves in each other's scarred flesh. A desperate yet silent plea radiating from them both. 

_Ask me and I’ll tell you._


End file.
